Day 9 - First day in St. Petersberg and my birthday. We arrived in St. Petersburg a little before 7am and we were allowed off the ship around 7:45. We booked a tour through Alla Tours instead of the cruise line. We were told that Royal Caribbean tours had to clear customs before we could get off and they would make an announcement for us when we could go. No announcement was made that we ever heard, so if you book privately, be aware of this and do not wait for them. The customs lines were long, but moved very quickly. The representative from Alla was waiting for us and we promptly left to start our first day. We had a drive through the city to familiarize us with locations and then made our first stop at the subway. This may sound odd, but the subway system in St. Petersburg is very interesting. It is one of the deepest in the world and was used as a bomb shelter during the cold war. We visited one stop that was the third deepest subway station in the world. The escalators were amazing.
Next, we were off to the Hermitage Museum. Even though our tour got us into the museum before it opened, it was still packed with tourists. However when we left, we couldn't believe the lines of people waiting to get in. Clearly we had received special treatment. The Hermitage is one of the greatest art museums in the world. It was created out of a tsar's palace and now shares the great artwork that was collected over the generations. We were able to see works from DaVinci, Rembrandt, and even ancient Egyptian works. There was so much that we were walking past one priceless artwork to see the next, all set in the extravagance of a palace.
After leaving the Hermitage, we visited the Church on the Spilled Blood. It was at this site where Alexander the Second was assassinated. The church is an excellent example of classic Russian architecture with the onion domed rooftops. Some of the church was undergoing refurbishment, but it was still incredibly beautiful. Inside, the walls are decorated with mosaics on all the walls and ceilings. They said in the humid atmosphere, the frescoes would not stay on the walls so they needed to find another form of art.
For our lunch break, we were taken to a traditional Russian restaurant for lunch. We were served borscht (it was surprisingly good), chicken Kiev, and a pastry for dessert. As a surprise for my birthday, the waiters and other guests sang me "Happy Birthday" and I had a piece of birthday cake. It was really a treat!
We then moved on to Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral. The cathedral is really the star of the show here. It has a very tall golden spire decorating the exterior of the church. Inside, all of the tsars and their families have been buried. Here we learned a great deal about the history of the tsars and the story of the Romanovs' deaths.
Our final stop of the day was St. Isaac's Cathedral. This is the most prominent building across the St. Petersburg skyline. The large gold dome is quite striking. It is difficult to get a good photo of it from the outside because it is so large. The granite columns outside are each made from one solid piece of rock. Inside the have videos and models to show how it was constructed. Inside, the mosaic style was more refined to look like actual paintings. You had to get very close to see the tile work.
After all this sightseeing, we were taken back to the ship to quickly change for the ballet in the evening. As a birthday splurge, I booked us an evening excursion to the Russian ballet through Alla Tours. We were picked up at 7pm and taken to the Alexandrinsky Theater to see Swan Lake. The theater was built in 1832 and is part of a square that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was beautiful inside and smaller than I imagined. The floor area contained about 15 rows and then the walls went straight up with balcony boxes. We had wonderful seats on the 5th row in the center of the stage. There was a music pit in front with a live orchestra. The ballet was incredible. The skill of the dancers was something to behold. We could not take photos during the play unfortunately, but I will never forget what a treat it was to be there.
We arrived back to the ship about 11:30pm and had to get right to sleep. Tomorrow is an early alarm and another full day in St. Petersburg.
Next, we were off to the Hermitage Museum. Even though our tour got us into the museum before it opened, it was still packed with tourists. However when we left, we couldn't believe the lines of people waiting to get in. Clearly we had received special treatment. The Hermitage is one of the greatest art museums in the world. It was created out of a tsar's palace and now shares the great artwork that was collected over the generations. We were able to see works from DaVinci, Rembrandt, and even ancient Egyptian works. There was so much that we were walking past one priceless artwork to see the next, all set in the extravagance of a palace.
After leaving the Hermitage, we visited the Church on the Spilled Blood. It was at this site where Alexander the Second was assassinated. The church is an excellent example of classic Russian architecture with the onion domed rooftops. Some of the church was undergoing refurbishment, but it was still incredibly beautiful. Inside, the walls are decorated with mosaics on all the walls and ceilings. They said in the humid atmosphere, the frescoes would not stay on the walls so they needed to find another form of art.
For our lunch break, we were taken to a traditional Russian restaurant for lunch. We were served borscht (it was surprisingly good), chicken Kiev, and a pastry for dessert. As a surprise for my birthday, the waiters and other guests sang me "Happy Birthday" and I had a piece of birthday cake. It was really a treat!
We then moved on to Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral. The cathedral is really the star of the show here. It has a very tall golden spire decorating the exterior of the church. Inside, all of the tsars and their families have been buried. Here we learned a great deal about the history of the tsars and the story of the Romanovs' deaths.
Our final stop of the day was St. Isaac's Cathedral. This is the most prominent building across the St. Petersburg skyline. The large gold dome is quite striking. It is difficult to get a good photo of it from the outside because it is so large. The granite columns outside are each made from one solid piece of rock. Inside the have videos and models to show how it was constructed. Inside, the mosaic style was more refined to look like actual paintings. You had to get very close to see the tile work.
After all this sightseeing, we were taken back to the ship to quickly change for the ballet in the evening. As a birthday splurge, I booked us an evening excursion to the Russian ballet through Alla Tours. We were picked up at 7pm and taken to the Alexandrinsky Theater to see Swan Lake. The theater was built in 1832 and is part of a square that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was beautiful inside and smaller than I imagined. The floor area contained about 15 rows and then the walls went straight up with balcony boxes. We had wonderful seats on the 5th row in the center of the stage. There was a music pit in front with a live orchestra. The ballet was incredible. The skill of the dancers was something to behold. We could not take photos during the play unfortunately, but I will never forget what a treat it was to be there.
We arrived back to the ship about 11:30pm and had to get right to sleep. Tomorrow is an early alarm and another full day in St. Petersburg.
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